Toilet Equipped With Vacuum Cleaner

ABSTRACT

The subject of the present invention is a specially shaped toilet which prevents the diffusion of contaminated “aerosol” into the environment by sucking it directly from the toilet basin by means of an electric aspirator placed inside the toilet itself, and expelling it into the sewer pipe through specially fitted ducts.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This Non-Provisional Utility Patent application claims the benefit of and priority to Italian Patent Application Serial No. 202020000003691, filed Jun. 25, 2020, entitled “Improved Toilet Equipped with Vacuum Cleaner,” the entire contents of which is hereby incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

The problem of bad odors from toilets has been known for a very long time. Furthermore, it has been found that human waste—both feces and urine—contain pathogens such as, for example, viruses or bacteria. In fact, it has been found that 30% of the weight of feces is made up of bacteria.

The spread of particularly aggressive and easily transmissible viruses also occurs by means of the “aerosol” they emit, which volatilizes in the environment and amplifies the spread of the aforementioned pathogens. When this happens, any virus or bacterium present in the feces and urine may be sent into the surrounding environment mixed with gases, causing the “aerosol” effect mentioned above.

The problem is even more serious in cases where a toilet is used by more people, as happens, for example, in offices, bars, hotels, and more generally, in all services open to the public.

The commonly adopted solution is to ventilate the restroom by opening the window. Alternatively, if the room is equipped with it, a fan can be turned on.

In both cases, a considerable amount of time is required to obtain complete air exchange in the room, also considering that, in most cases, if a fan is present, there is no window, and vice versa. As we know, and as is evident, for the purposes of olfactory comfort and hygienic safety, as long as the air in the toilet has not undergone a complete change, the room should not be used.

Another problem related to the exchange of air through the window is that this may cause a sudden drop in temperature in the restroom, which, especially in the cold months, can be particularly annoying.

One of the problems related to a fan is that its installation involves masonry work, with the inconvenience and consequent economic costs that entails.

As mentioned, the problem briefly described has been experienced for some time, and various devices and methods have been created to try to solve it. The subject of the present invention is a specially shaped toilet which prevents the diffusion of contaminated “aerosol” into the environment by sucking it directly from the toilet basin by means of an electric vacuum cleaner placed inside the toilet itself, and then expelling it into the sewer through appropriate ducts. To this end, the toilet according to the present invention has a specific shape which includes, among other things, an opening [i.e. intake], preferably placed along the rear part of the rim, for the suction of the contaminated “aerosol,” and a second opening [i.e. outlet] connected to the toilet discharge, as well as the siphon of the toilet itself.

SUMMARY

The toilet according to the present invention comprises an electric vacuum cleaner connected to the ducts which connect the suction intake of the toilet basin and the fittings with the discharge outlet to the sewer system. The toilet according to the present invention also comprises a one-way valve which prevents backflow into the environment of the aspirated aerosol and of the gases coming from the sewer.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The toilet according to the present invention will be described hereinafter in an indicative but not limiting embodiment, provided with reference to the attached drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a longitudinal section of the toilet according to the present invention alone, without the electric vacuum cleaner, the ducts, and the one-way valve, for explanatory purposes.

FIG. 2 shows a longitudinal section of the toilet according to the present invention complete with the electric vacuum cleaner, the intake and exhaust ducts, and the one-way valve.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

According to the present invention, the toilet is shaped in such a way that toilet basin (1) comprises aerosol suction intake (2), whose opening is preferably positioned in correspondence with the lower part of the rim. The toilet also comprises a discharge channel (3) appropriately shaped. Suction intake (2) and discharge channel (3) are connected by means of ducts (6 and 8) to vacuum cleaner (7) capable of forcibly conveying the aspirated aerosol into toilet discharge duct (4) connected to the sewer.

Sanitary siphon (5) prevents the aerosol from returning to the environment through toilet basin (1). Similarly, one-way valve (9), placed, for example, along exhaust duct (8), prevents, when vacuum cleaner (7) is not in operation, the return of the aerosol and the fumes coming from the sewer network through suction intake (2) connected to toilet basin (1). As seen in FIG. 2, vacuum cleaner (7), connected to suction intake (2) through duct (6), sucks the bad odor and the aerosol containing bacteria and viruses from toilet basin (1). By means of duct (8), vacuum cleaner (7) introduces the aerosol containing viruses and bacteria into discharge channel (3), equipped with one-way valve (9), which opens into discharge duct (4) from the toilet connected to the sewer system.

The one-way valve (9) and plumbing siphon (5) prevent the bad odors and aerosol from returning into the environment.

Vacuum cleaner (7) can be activated using a separate control.

Alternatively, controls can be provided through automatic or semiautomatic controls, such as, for example, pressure sensors which detect weight on the toilet seat.

Conveniently, photoelectric cells which activate the vacuum cleaner in the presence of a person can be provided. 

1. An improved toilet equipped with a vacuum cleaner, comprising: a suction intake appropriate for sucking away bad smells and gas containing aerosol bacteria or viruses present in a toilet basin during use; an outlet made in such a manner as to convey vacuumed aerosol into an intake duct connecting the toilet with a sewer; at least one aspirator connected through appropriate ducts to the intake duct and an exhaust duct; at least one one-way valve located along the exhaust duct or along the intake duct; and devices and means for activating the aspirator.
 2. The improved toilet equipped with the vacuum cleaner of claim 1, wherein: the suction intake which provides communication between toilet basin and intake; a suction duct which connects to the suction intake, through which the suction duct vacuums away the water and aerosol bacteria or virus mixture present in the toilet basin and the suction duct by means of an electric aspirator; an electric aspirator which connects to the suction duct and the at least one aspirator, and the exhaust duct which connects to the electric aspirator joined through the outlet to the exhaust duct which opens into the sewer network.
 3. The improved toilet equipped with the vacuum cleaner of claim 2, further comprising a button for activating the electric aspirator.
 4. The improved toilet equipped with the vacuum cleaner of claim 3, further comprising pressure sensors which detect weight on a toilet seat, and which activate the electric aspirator responsively to detecting the weight.
 5. The improved toilet equipped with the vacuum cleaner of claim 4, further comprising photoelectric cells which activate the aspirator in the presence of a person. 